Feminine Fit: Bust Shaping Techniques

Flatter your feminine side with sweaters that embrace your bust, hips and waist. Joan McGowan-Michael teaches you how to shape knitwear to fit.

Take proper measurements, choose the right size and make adjustments to any sweater pattern with Joan’s practical advice and easy-to-master techniques. Accentuating the positive is often just a matter of having the right skill set, including the ability to combine different pattern sizes, lengthen sweaters and adjust for curves in both the front and back of the body. This example-packed class will teach you bust shaping, neckline alterations, armhole placement and shoulder cap adjustments to achieve the perfect fit for any body type.

Lesson plan

Lesson 1. Adjusting Necklines and Shoulders

Lesson 2. How to Fix a Gaping Sweater Front

Address the common problem of fixing a gaping sweater front. Learn how to measure and choose the right size for your body.

6:10

Lesson 3. Unifying Two Sweater Sizes - Top and Bottom

Learn the trick to unify two sizes to fit your body shape. Adjust your sweater for larger hips or a larger bust.

20:17

Lesson 4. Adding Short Rows

Short rows are your friend! Learn all about this knitting technique then learn how to apply it to your knitting for a perfect fit.

11:50

Lesson 5. Perfect Sweater Armholes

Don't let gaping armholes get you down. Observe our examples and learn how to measure to ensure that your knit fits.

13:59

Lesson 6. Biceps and Sleeve Caps

Fit your biceps by learning how to measure and chart them more easily. Also learn how to fit your sleeve caps.

10:20

Lesson 7. Shoulder Slopes

Adjust one of the most detrimental fit problems in sweaters: shoulder slope. Learn how to measure and chart your shoulder slope, then join the shoulders.

22:13

Lesson 8. Bonus Lesson: Setting In Sleeves

In this special bonus lesson, learn about sleeve placement and set-in sleeves.

"First hand experience taught me that just adjusting stitch counts to fit bust/waist/hips didn't always (or even usually) result in a great fitting garment. Things would still be off. Now I understand how to adjust my knitting to get a great fitting garment from the bust upwards. Thank you, thank you, thank you." - seashelly

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Lesson plan

9:16

Lesson 1. Adjusting Necklines and Shoulders

Meet Joan and learn about adjusting shoulder fits.

5:41

Lesson 2. How to Fix a Gaping Sweater Front

Address the common problem of fixing a gaping sweater front. Learn how to measure and choose the right size for your body.

6:10

Lesson 3. Unifying Two Sweater Sizes - Top and Bottom

Learn the trick to unify two sizes to fit your body shape. Adjust your sweater for larger hips or a larger bust.

20:17

Lesson 4. Adding Short Rows

Short rows are your friend! Learn all about this knitting technique then learn how to apply it to your knitting for a perfect fit.

11:50

Lesson 5. Perfect Sweater Armholes

Don't let gaping armholes get you down. Observe our examples and learn how to measure to ensure that your knit fits.

13:59

Lesson 6. Biceps and Sleeve Caps

Fit your biceps by learning how to measure and chart them more easily. Also learn how to fit your sleeve caps.

10:20

Lesson 7. Shoulder Slopes

Adjust one of the most detrimental fit problems in sweaters: shoulder slope. Learn how to measure and chart your shoulder slope, then join the shoulders.

22:13

Lesson 8. Bonus Lesson: Setting In Sleeves

In this special bonus lesson, learn about sleeve placement and set-in sleeves.

Joan McGowan-Michael has been a professional fashion designer for more 25 years, styling garments for retailers as diverse as Frederick's of Hollywood and JC Penney. She founded her company, White Lies Designs, in 2001. It has since become the original go-to resource for lingerie patterns for hand knitting, and other romantic, vintage inspired knitwear styles in a wide range of sizes from petite to plus. You've seen her work in Big Girl Knits, Stitch & Bitch Nation, and The Best of Interweave Knits. She has appeared on DIY's Knitty Gritty and the PBS series Shay Pendray's Needlework Studio. Her book, "Knitting Lingerie Style," was released in May 2007 by STC Publishing.

Ratings & reviews

Class rating

(15 reviews)

Not For Beginners

by ThisKatrine on February 22, 2015

This is a class for the experienced knitter who already know the basics. So do not choose this class if you are just getting started. Craftsy has several classes with introductions on how to fit garments, this is not one of them. If you expect a step-by-step walk-through on how to fit a garment you will be disapointed with this class.For the experienced knitter this class has several good pointers that are not covered in some of those other classes.

This is a class for the experienced knitter who already know the basics. So do not choose this class if you are just getting started. Craftsy has several classes with introductions on how to fit garments, this is not one of them. If you expect a step-by-step walk-through on how to fit a garment you will be disapointed with this class.For the experienced knitter this class has several good pointers that are not covered in some of those other classes.

Very Informative

by stylingdj on January 7, 2015

Very no nonsense class. Very informative

Very no nonsense class. Very informative

Awesome Fits - Its Not All About the Bust/Waist/Hips

by seashelly on May 2, 2013

First hand experience taught me that just adjusting stitch counts to fit bust/waist/hips didn't always (or even usually) result in a great fitting garment. Things would still be off. Now I understand how to adjust my knitting to get a great fitting garment from the bust upwards. Thank you, thank you, thank you.

The chapter segment lengths seemed just right, and I learned something new from each chapter. Having the drawings and the schematics as visual aides really helped me ...

First hand experience taught me that just adjusting stitch counts to fit bust/waist/hips didn't always (or even usually) result in a great fitting garment. Things would still be off. Now I understand how to adjust my knitting to get a great fitting garment from the bust upwards. Thank you, thank you, thank you.

The chapter segment lengths seemed just right, and I learned something new from each chapter. Having the drawings and the schematics as visual aides really helped me understand how recognize garment fit problems, and how to fix them. An excellent course.

Not what I have come to expect from Craftsy

by mrsweaver on November 9, 2014

So disappointed. The basic information is given, but where is the detail? The practical application? I would have valued a course where more advice is given than just to add or subtract a number of stitches. Too short, as others have said, too many things just glossed over.

So disappointed. The basic information is given, but where is the detail? The practical application? I would have valued a course where more advice is given than just to add or subtract a number of stitches. Too short, as others have said, too many things just glossed over.